Chu Army
Chu army (楚軍) is the faction of Xiang Yu's army during the end of Qin Dynasty and during the Han-Chu Contention. This army also forged as one of the powerhouse faction due to the influences from the the royalties of the descendants of Chu. Xiang Yu's Chu army has a huge rivalry with Liu Bang's army, the Han Army to take the FORMATION Began a long time even before the revolt of the Daze Village, Chu is one of the powerhouse nation before under the Qin Unification HISTORICAL INFORMATION This infomation is based on wikipedia as a part of resources.... Origin and founding According to legends recorded in the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian, the royal family of Chu descended from the mythical Yellow Emperor and his grandson and successor emperor Zhuanxu. Zhuanxu's great-grandson Wuhui (吳回) was put in charge of fire by Emperor Ku and given the title Zhurong. Wuhui's son Luzhong (陸終) had six sons, all born by Caesarian section. The youngest son Jilian adopted the ancestral surname Mi.5 Jilian’s descendant Yuxiong was the teacher of King Wen of Zhou (reigned 1099-1050 BC). After Zhou overthrew the Shang Dynasty, King Cheng of Zhou (reigned 1042-1021 BC) awarded Yuxiong's great-grandson Xiong Yi the fiefdom of Chu and the hereditary title of zĭ (子), equivalent to viscount. Xiong Yi built the first capital of Chu in Danyang (丹阳) (modern day Xichuan County, Henan Province).5 editEarly expansion In 977 BC, after an expedition into the State of Chu King Zhao of Zhou's boat sank and he drowned in the Han River. Due to the death of their king, Zhou did not expand further in the south thus allowing the southern tribes and Chu to cement their own autonomy and independence much earlier than the states to the north. The Chu ruler Xiong Qu overthrew the State of E6 in 863 BCE, later making its successor city Ezhou the alternate Chu capital. In either 7037 or 7068 Xiong Da, Viscount of Chu, assumed the title King Wu of Chu, implying an equality with the Zhou king and the independence of Chu. editChu during the Spring and Autumn period In its early years, Chu was a successful expansionist and militaristic state that developed a reputation for coercing and absorbing its allies. Chu grew from a small state into a large kingdom. King Zhuang of Chu even attained the traditional title of one of the Five Hegemons. After a number of battles with neighbouring states, sometime between 695 and 689 BC, the Chu capital moved southeast from Danyang to Ying. Chu first consolidated its power by absorbing the lesser states within its immediate vicinity in today's Hubei Province; then, it expanded into the north towards the North China Plain. The threat from Chu resulted in multiple northern alliances under the leadership of the Jin state against Chu and its allies; these alliances successfully kept Chu in check, with their first major victory occurring at the Battle of Chengpu in 632 BC. At the beginning of the sixth century BC, the Wu state grew in power with the support of the Jin state to counter Chu. Wu defeated the Qi state, invaded Chu in 506 BC and, following the Battle of Boju, occupied the Chu capital Ying, forcing King Zhao of Chu to flee to his allies, first to Yun then to the State of Sui in northern Hubei. Prominent historian Shi Quan (石泉) links the Sui state to the State of Zeng.9 King Zhao eventually returned to Ying but after a further Wu attack in 504 BC temporarily moved the capital into territory annexed from the former State of Ruo. At this time, the State of Yue also grew in power with the support of Chu to counter Wu's dominance in the east. However, Yue was subjugated by King Fuchai of Wu until he released the hostage King Goujian of Yue who took revenge and conquered Wu. The Yue state was one of the strongest states of the late Spring and Autumn Period. editChu during the Warring States period Bronze from the Tomb of Chu in Xichuan. The kingdom's power continued even after the end of the Spring and Autumn period in 481 BC. Chu annexed Chen in 479 BC, and overran Cai to the north in 447 BC, continuing a policy of absorbing smaller states on its borders that continued until the last generation before the fall to Qin (Lu was conquered by King Kaolie ind 249 BC). However, by the end of the 5th century BC, the Chu government had become very corrupt and inefficient with much of the state's treasury used primarily to pay for a large official retinue. Many officials had no meaningful task except taking money. Thus, Chu's large army was of low quality due to the corrupt and cumbersome bureaucracy. In the late 390s BC, King Dao of Chu made Wu Qi his chancellor. Wu's reforms began in 389 BC to transform Chu into an efficient and powerful state, lowering the salaries of officials and removing useless ones. He also enacted building codes to make the capital, Ying, seem less barbaric. Despite Wu Qi's massive unpopularity with the Chu government (except the king), his reforms made Chu very powerful until the late 4th century BC, when Zhao and Qin were ascendant. Chu's powerful army became once again successful in the internecine warfare that characterized the whole Warring States period, defeating the states of Wei and Yue (which latter state was annexed in either 334 or 333 BC; sources differ on the exact date). However, Wu Qi was assassinated by the Chu officials at the funeral of King Dao in 381 BC. During the late Warring States Period, Chu was increasingly pressured by Qin to its west, especially after Qin enacted and preserved the legalistic reforms of Shang Yang. Chu's size and power made it the key state in alliances against Qin. As Qin expanded into Chu territory, Chu was forced to expand southwards and eastwards, absorbing local cultural influences along the way. In 333 BC, Chu and Qi partitioned and annexed the coastal state of Yue. By the late Warring States Period (about the late 4th century BC), however, Chu's prominent status had fallen into decay. As a result of several invasions headed by Zhao and Qin, Chu was eventually subjugated by Qin. According to the Records of the Warring States, a debate between School of Diplomacy strategist Zhang Yi and the Qin general Sima Cuo on unifying China led to two conclusions. Zhang Yi believed conquering the Han state and seizing the Mandate of Heaven from the figurehead resident Zhou king would be wise. Sima Cuo considered Chu as its main rival in the struggle to unite the Warring States. Sima Cuo decided it was essential to control the fertile Sichuan Basin to increase agricultural output and most importantly, to control the upper reaches of the Yangzi River that led to the Chu heartland. According to Zhan Guo Ce, Sima Cuo remarked, "To conquer Shu is to conquer Chu. Once Chu is eliminated, the country will be united." King Huiwen of Qin decided to support Sima Cuo. In 316 BC, the Qin army conquered the Shu (state) and Ba (state) and successively expanded to the east in the following decades. In 278 BC, Qin general Bai Qi conquered Chu's capital city of Ying. Following the fall of Ying, the Chu government moved to various locations in the east until settling in Shouchun (in present-day Anhui province) in 241 BC. At this critical moment when Chu was nearing annihilation, Qin set its strategic aims to central China, especially the powerful Zhao state. After a massive two year struggle, Bai Qi lured out, surrounded, isolated, forced the surrender of and massacred the main Zhao force of 400,000 men at the Battle of Changping. After 260 BC, all major obstacles to Qin dominance ended and it was a matter of time until China's unification. editQin's conquest of Chu 225-223 BC Main article: Qin's wars of unification#Conquest of Chu Bronze bells from the Tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, dated 433 BC, State of Chu. In 225 BC, only three kingdoms (states) remained independent: Chu, Yan and Qi. Chu had recovered significantly enough to mount serious resistance after their disastrous defeats to Qin in 278 BC and losing their centuries-old capital of Ying. Despite its territorial size, resources and manpower, Chu's fatal flaw was its largely corrupt government that mostly overturned the legalistic-style reforms of Wu Qi 150 years earlier, when Wu transformed Chu into the most powerful state with an area of almost half of all the states combined. Ironically, Wu Qi was from the same state (Wei) as Shang Yang, whose legalistic reforms turned Qin into an invincible war machine at this stage. In 224 BC, Ying Zheng called for a meeting with his subjects to discuss his plans for the invasion of Chu. Wang Jian said that the invasion force needed to be at least 600,000 strong, while Li Xin (李信) thought that less than 200,000 men would be sufficient. Ying Zheng dismissed Wang Jian's idea and ordered Li Xin and Meng Wu to lead the army to attack Chu,10 while Wang Jian retired from state affairs on the excuse that he was ill. The Qin armies scored initial victories as Li Xin's force conquered Pingyu (平輿; north of present-day Pingyu County, Henan) and Meng Wu's force captured Qinqiu (寢丘; present-day Linquan County, Anhui). After conquering Yan (鄢; present-day Yanling County, Henan), Li Xin led his army westwards to rendezvous with Meng Wu at Chengfu (城父; east of present-day Baofeng County, Henan). The Chu army, led by Xiang Yan (項燕), had avoided using its main force to resist the Qin invaders, in wait for an opportunity to launch a counterattack.10 The Chu forces followed Li Xin's army secretly at high speed for three days and three nights, before launching a surprise offensive and defeating the Qin army.10 Li Xin's defeat was deemed as the greatest setback for Qin in its wars to unify China. Upon learning of Li Xin's defeat, Ying Zheng visited Wang Jian in person and invited him back, putting Wang in command of a 600,000 strong army as he had requested earlier, with Meng Wu serving as Wang's deputy. As Wang Jian was aware that Ying Zheng might doubt his loyalty because he wielded too much military power, he frequently sent messengers back to the king, requesting for rewards for his family in order to reduce the king's suspicions. In 224 BC, Wang Jian's army passed through the south of Chen (陳; present-day Huaiyang, Henan) and made camp at Pingyu. The Chu armies, led by Xiang Yan, used their full strength to launch an offensive on the Qin camp but failed.10 Wang Jian ordered his troops to defend their positions firmly and avoid advancing further into Chu territory.10 After failing to lure the Qin army to attack, Xiang Yan ordered a retreat and Wang Jian seized the opportunity to launch a surprise counterattack. The Qin forces pursued the retreating Chu forces to Qinan (蕲南; northwest of present-day Qichun County, Hubei), where Xiang Yan was killed in actiona in the ensuing battle.10 In 223 BC, Qin launched another attack on Chu and captured Shouchun (壽春; present-day Shou County, Anhui), capital of Chu. King Fuchu of Chu was captured and the Chu state was annexed by Qin.1011 The following year, Wang Jian and Meng Wu led the Qin army to attack the Wuyue region (in present-day Zhejiang and Jiangsu) and captured the descendants of the royal family of Yue.11 The conquered Wuyue territories became the Kuaiji Prefecture (會稽郡) of the Qin empire. During their peak sizes, both armies of Chu and Qin combined numbered over 1,000,000 troops, more than the massive Battle of Changping between Qin and Zhao 35 years before. The excavated personal letters of two Qin regular soldiers, Hei Fu (黑夫) and Jing (惊), tell of a protracted campaign in Huaiyang under general Wang Jian. Both soldiers wrote letters requesting supplies of clothing and money from home to sustain the long waiting campaign.12 editChu under Qin rule and the Western Han period The Chu realm at its most powerful was vast with many ethnicities and various customs. Despite their diversity, the Chu people were united by a common respect for nature, the supernatural, their heritage and loyalty to their ruling house and nobility, epitomized by the famed Chu statesman-poet Qu Yuan and the Songs of Chu. The Chu populace in areas conquered by Qin openly ignored the stringent Qin laws and governance, which was recorded in the excavated bamboo slips of a Qin administrator in Hubei. Chu was one of the last states to fall, only 11 years before the death of Qin Shi Huang, and its people aspired of overthrowing the painful yoke of Qin rule and reestablishing the Chu state. There was a famous saying that "Even if Chu has only three clans (or "families") left, it will still eventually destroy Qin." (楚雖三戶, 亡秦必楚).13 Historians believed that the "three clans" referred to the three biggest clans in Chu; Qu, Jing and Zhao (屈、景、昭). Hence, the quote was commonly interpreted as: "The people of Chu hate Qin so much such that even if there are only three clans left in Chu, their hatred is powerful enough to destroy Qin." (楚人怨秦, 雖三戶足以亡秦也).14 After Qin Shi Huang's very short reign, peasants, soldiers and relatives of nobles and the ruling house of Chu quickly organized into violent insurrections against the repressive Qin governance, initializing the anti-Qin rebellion that spread to the rest of China. The people of Chu, whose culture was a naturalistic and Taoist one, were resentful of the forced labor under Qin, and folk poems recorded the mournful sadness of the Chu families of men who worked in the frigid north to construct the Great Wall of China. The Daze Village Uprising against the Qin Dynasty erupted in 209 BC, under the leadership of a peasant leader from the former Chu state, Chen Sheng, who proclaimed himself "King of Zhangchu" (King of Rising Chu). The uprising was crushed by Qin forces but other rebellions started as well. One of the rebel leaders, Jing Ju, a native of Chu, proclaimed himself king of Chu. Jing Ju was defeated by Xiang Liang's rebel force and Xiang installed Xiong Xin, a descendant of the Chu royal family, on the throne of Chu, with the title of "King Huai II of Chu". In 206 BC, after the fall of the Qin Dynasty, Xiang Yu, nephew of Xiang Liang, proclaimed himself "Hegemon-King of Western Chu" and promoted King Huai II to the more honorific title of "Emperor Yi of Chu", but he had the emperor assassinated later. Xiang Yu engaged Liu Bang, another prominent rebel leader native to Chu, in a long power struggle for supremacy over China, known as the Chu-Han Contention. The conflict ended with victory for Liu Bang, who proceeded to found the Han Dynasty, while Xiang Yu committed suicide after his defeat. The Chu people and customs were major influences in the new era of the Western Han Dynasty. Liu Bang immediately initialized the Taoist Wu wei governance, made peace with the Xiongnu through Heqin intermarriages, quickly rewarding his allies and giving them pseudo-fiefdoms, and allowing the population to rest from centuries of warfare. Eventually, by the time of Emperor Wu of Han, Chu folk culture in everyday lifestyles and Chu aesthetics were gradually amalgamated with state-sponsored Confucian ideals and Qin-styled centralized governance to create a distinct and unified "Chinese" culture, visible during the Eastern Han Dynasty. RULER *Xiang Liang *Xiang Yu (195–188 BC) LADIES *COnsort Yu * STRATERGIST *Fan Zheng-Grand Marshall *Xiao He *Cao Zhen ADVISORS *Chen Ping *Zhou Cang GENERAL *Fan Kuai *Xiao Hou Ying *Lu Wan *Ying Bu-Defected Chu general * FICTION FIGURES *Luo Sheng Wen-Defected Chu general to the Han Army *Gan Ren-Sister of Chu elite general, Gan Wei. Defected to Han after her brother defeat *Sister Wu-Childhood friend as well as the 5th wife of Liu Bang TRIVIA Han emblem.jpg|Concept version of the Han Insignia Han insigna.png|Han banner Main Insignia